The Microbiology and Immunology Core will provide for SCOR basic microbiological and immunological functions to serve SCOR projects II, III, IV, V, and VI. These functions include 1) production of monoclonal antibodies by hybridization techniques, 2) screening and characterization of monoclonal antibodies by various immunoassays, 3) isolation and identification of viral and bacterial agents from clinical samples collected at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, 4) maintenance of virus, bacterium and tissue culture stocks, and 5) storage of patient samples and microbial isolates for future analysis and study. Due to changes in the scope of this application and the new focus of several projects on molecular mechanisms, the major effort of this core will be dedicated to production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies. Other services available to SCOR projects will be development/establishment of new microbiological and immunological methodologies which will aid in achieving SCOR goals. The centralization of these basic functions in the Core avoids duplication of equipment and supplies, and allows for better research quality, efficiency and productivity. Furthermore, this core is expected to stimulate intradisciplinary collaboration.